una splendida settimana

 

Last week I finished up my TEFL course and received my certificate to teach English as a foreign language! Here’s a recap of this extremely busy, yet wonderful week:

While I was finishing up my last assignments, taking exams and teaching my last lessons with the TEFL course, I heard The British Centre Language School was looking for English teachers. So Monday, I met with the director of the School, had an interview the following day, was then asked to observe one of their classes one evening, then asked to prepare and give a trial lesson to the director in order to be hired. Friday I had my award ceremony for my TEFL course, so I said my goodbyes to my classmates and instructors, grabbed my certificate and then hopped on the metro to the British Centre, where I gave a grammar lesson on the past simple to the director and another employee of the school.  

Before giving my lesson, one of the teachers at the school advised me to just, “go in there and give her a show, she wants teachers with energy and enthusiasm.”  So that’s what I did, I gave her a show and was offered the position!

I was most certainly not expecting to have a job waiting for me after my course was finished, let alone a job with a language school. Most English teachers in Italy start out giving private lessons, so I feel very fortunate to have a job offer like this.  I have training this week and Friday I’m giving my first conversational lesson and then Monday I start in with my teaching schedule. 

Last week I was also frantically searching for a new apartment to stay in, since my roommate was moving to Bologna to search for a job, which meant I couldn’t possibly afford to stay in our apartment by myself. So just as I was about to move to an area further away from the center of Rome, my landlady offered me to stay in the apartment for half the price she normally rents out for.

She said, “Erica, I want to make you a deal, because you are such a nice person and we have become friends.” After promising I wouldn’t tell anyone the price we agreed on, she invited me in for a cappuccino and began making plans for us to have dinner together and future trips to her country house. She is one of the most generous people I’ve met and I am still overwhelmed by the fact I have this studio apartment all to myself, in very nice neighborhood, which couldn’t be more conveniently located. 

Things have work out so well for me here, beyond what I was even expecting. So with all this said, it looks like I have a a few more months to enjoy in Italy. I’ll be returning in July so if anyone needs a summer vacation, come visit me in Rome!